Announcement of the group exhibition of contemporary artists "Absurdists from the Ivory Tower"
2025.01.31
From Saturday, February 8th, B GALLERY will be hosting a group exhibition titled "Absurdists from the Ivory Tower" directed by contemporary artist Miyahara Takahiro.
In contemporary art today, the trend is for works to emphasize concepts as a way of raising social issues. However, there are also contemporary artists who continue to hone their skills and pursue original expression through their own cultural backgrounds. This exhibition shines a spotlight on five such contemporary artists, and reminds us of the significance of creating artworks in the modern era by focusing once again on the "uniqueness" of the time and space in which their works exist.
We hope you will look forward to the breathtaking works of these noteworthy artists.
*This exhibition is being held in collaboration with "Magician's Encounter #3: Absurdists from the Ivory Tower," organized by Takahiro Miyahara at the Isetan Shinjuku Art Gallery.
Key visual design: Minako Izumi
Co-organized by Isetan Shinjuku Art Gallery
Cooperation: Studio Shikumi, Pinhole Books
How has contemporary art evolved and been linked to social context under the influence of formalism and Fordism? Pop art actively embraced consumer society and directly linked art to commercial value. This trend towards commercialization has promoted the expansion of the art market and the growth of the global commercial gallery system, allowing artists to create works in a way that responds to self-expression and market demands. How can artists who have lost their technical uniqueness perceive and visualize the world amid accelerating technological innovation? Whereas labor in the past was subordinate to material production, in the modern era, non-material production, that is, communication with people and connection with society, forms the core of new labor. The labor nature of art exposed by minimal art, and conceptual art, etc., have made intellectual labor and dematerialization possible, even for the mass production of artistic aura. At the same time, this trend is also seen as a "de-artization" as a reaction against dematerialization and commercialism. This is also related to the reevaluation of art during the colonial era. Colonial art offers a new perspective to contemporary art through its complex relationship with commercialism and the global market, emphasizing cultural identity and dialogue. What does humanity consider to be art in an age in which art has transformed from a mere visual experience into something that conveys social and political messages, in which physical expression has been replaced by machines, and even intellectual labor can be complemented by artificial intelligence? Is art dead? Perhaps it will be reduced to a prehistoric pastime. Based on the labor and technology in art or its social and cultural background, I would like to return the initiative in production to the artist.
- Event period
- Saturday, February 8, 2025 - Tuesday, February 25, 2025 11:00 - 20:00
*Open every day during the exhibition period
- Holding store
- BEAMS JAPAN (Shinjuku) 5F
"B GALLERY"
3-32-6 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0022
- Artist's Gallery Tour
- February 15th (Sat) 16:00-17:00
A gallery tour with exhibition director Takahiro Miyahara and participating artists.
We will explain the exhibition contents and works.
We look forward to seeing you there.
*Please note that the artists participating in this event may change without prior notice.
Participating artists (in alphabetical order)
Ogami nori
Born in Tokyo in 1982. Graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts, majoring in lacquer art, in 2007. After working as a lacquer artist, he began presenting two-dimensional paintings in 2020. He uses acrylic, pastel, stone powder, oil sticks, etc. on textured surfaces such as paper and canvas, and creates improvised drawings in pursuit of expression that is not limited by the medium. The painted parts maintain a balance while maintaining a close relationship between each other, and various materials and elements organically intertwine to form dimensions.
TENGAone
Born in Saitama Prefecture. Artist. Started graffiti in 1992. For a while, he worked hard to draw better than anyone else and to stand out more than anyone else, but in his mid-30s, he realized that it's not just the style and technique of what he draws that's important. The smell and humidity of the scene, the sound of insects and the feeling of stepping on weeds, the feeling of vision returning as he gets used to the darkness, the expansion of blood vessels, the hearing that tries to hear even the smallest sounds, the popping sound of tension breaking... TENGAone was there, and everything that happened there was graffiti. It wasn't the visible spray paint that was graffiti, it was the story behind the paint that was graffiti. Now, based on the insight he gained from that experience, he presents his works in various scenes.
Emika Hosoi
Born in 1993. Graduated from the Musashino Art University Graduate School of Art and Design, Department of Sculpture in 2018. Creates fixtures and sculptures that combine ready-made objects such as bolts and nuts and handles with fabric materials, iron, and light. Positions the creation of artworks as an act of confirming the strength of perception in everyday life. Major exhibitions include the solo exhibition "Nailing to the beach" (2024, Esther Okada Art Gallery) and "Study: Osaka Kansai International Art Festival" (2024). Collaborated on the TBS drama "18/40 ~Futari nara Yume mo Koi mo~" (2023). Became an assistant professor at the university's Common Sculpture Laboratory in 2020.
Taketo Masui
Born in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1979. He has produced many sculptures using earthen materials such as terracotta and ceramics. In recent works, he has used fragments of Jomon pottery and developed his own techniques. Recent solo exhibitions include HECTARE "piece/peace" and Sukima "NOW". He is scheduled to exhibit at ART FAIR TOKYO 2025 through HECTARE.
Takahiro Miyahara
Born in Saitama Prefecture in 1982. After acquiring special makeup techniques, he studied Mono-ha and Minimal Art based on modern sculpture at the Tokyo University of the Arts Sculpture Department, and is attempting to develop new sculptures that are not bound by techniques or materials. After graduating from graduate school in 2012, he served as a researcher at the University of California GTU Graduate School of Theology, and made his debut at the New York Armory Show. In recent works, he combines natural and chemical materials to create symptomatic works that question the existence of things, and presents sculptures and installations with the theme of the purity of matter. In recent years, he has also been directing group shows. His signature work, a group of asphalt spheres called "missing matter," is currently on display at GASBON METABOLISM in Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture.